Life is many times in danger for his Riches whereas the Poor man fears neither the losing of his Life nor his Estate One only fear the Poor man has and that is lest he should lack whereon to subsist but yet without cause for being honest and industrious should he meet with any misfortune there 's no man but will be ready to help him for such a one cannot want Friends the charity of Good men and the assistance of Hospitals I could never hear of an Honest man that was any considerable time in want It s certain that Riches have killed more than Hunger I have known an hundred persons my self whose great Estates have occasioned their ruine some prison'd by their Relations others stabb'd hang'd robb'd and murdred as they were travelling but I never knew above four that died of Hunger and that by their own fault Seeing then so few persons perish through Poverty and so many by Riches I pray which condition is most eligible A Rich man is laden with unnecessary Apparel Houshold-stuff which require care in preserving and daily reparation Gold is no more wholsom to drink in than Glass nor Silver more cleanly than Stone Garments the more simple they be the more convenient and less burdensom Man is born Naked he needs a covering but no burden XVI Socrates beholding great variety of Merchandises to be sold in a Fair how many things says he are there here of which I have no need He esteemed them likest the Gods that wanted fewest things Costly Apparel is spoyled by Dust and Moths Water rots it and Thieves steal it or Neighbors borrow it What is fine Attire but a burdensom and troublesom Bravery In short what has a Rich man more than a Poor The latter has Life Health Children Meat Sleep Friends Liberty Security Pleasure and Rest with all other things needful Lord says the Prophet give me neither Poverty nor Riches And were a wise man left to his choice he would certainly prefer the former before the latter Riches are more dangerous than Poverty for Poverty is relieved by art and industry but there is no remedy against the discommodity of Riches Also the fall from Riches is great and without recovery whereas Poverty differs little from Sufficiency and keeps a man out of danger of falling In Poverty at farthest the Body can be only endanger'd whereas Riches endanger the loss of both Body and Soul Finally if Poverty be removed all the inconveniencies wherewith 't is attended be taken away But such as love Riches if they lose them do notwithstanding keep still those vices and imperfections which they caus'd whilst they possest them Poverty is certainly worthy of great honour for we are beholding to it for the inventions of Arts whereas Rich men never deserved this praise Socrates Plato Aristotle Epictetus and Cleanthes were all poor men the latter of which was fain all day to draw Water to get his living and to Study in the night Socrates was little better than a Beggar Plato became rich by his second Voyage into Sicily Aristotle lived a long time poor and when an Old man was enriched by Alexander Homer that famous Greek Poet was but a poor blind Harper And Virgil the Prince of Latine Poets was far from being over-rich The whole rout of Grammarians and Orators were such kind of men Pompilius Andronicus Orbilaus Valerius Cato Laenius Julius Higinus Plinius Caecilius reports that Quintilian was not overstockt with wealth Juvenal mocking Statius the Fam'd Poet tells us he begged his Bread XVIII Paul Aemilius that Famous Captain could not make his Wife a Joynture Also Marius and Sextorius came but of mean Parentage yet one of them was the Terror and the other the Safeguard of Rome Scipio Africanus had lain in Prison for debt had not Gracchus assisted him Arator Cincinatus Calatinus Fabricius that fought with Pyrus Valerian Publicola Menenius Agrippa Q. Aemilius Aristides Photion Meltiades Cimon Spartacus Viriatus all the Dukes of Lacedemonia even the bravest of them as Lisander came but of a mean Family And whom can you alledge against these the desperate Alexander or Cesar the destroyer of his Countrey or Scylla with his Proscriptions XIX But to return to the Point in hand what greater misery can God lay upon a man than to suffer him to covet Riches 'T is Labour without end and like the turning of Sisyphus's Stone who is said for revealing the Secrets of Heaven to remain in Hell and there continually to roll up a heavy Stone to the top of a steep Hill which presently rolls down again and he without ceasing follows and brings it up upon his shoulders For to what end dost thou labour for more than will buy thee necessaries depriving thy self of the comforts of what thou mayst enjoy Thou shortenest thy days and hindrest thy helth Some men I have known live miserably to the end they might have a stately honorbale Burial XIX But thou perhaps desirest not Riches upon this account but to leave thy Son a fair inheritance so that thou labourest studiest watchest hazardest the health of thy Soul and Body dost violence to thine own Conscience and destroyest the peace of thine own Mind that thy Son may spend consume make havock Whore Drink Game and Live in Riot and Idleness To make him Proud Soft Ridiculous Foolish Mad and good for nothing Again How oft have we seen a great Fortune left to a Son or Daughter make 'em a Prey to some greedy and perfidious Villain In short Riches have been the cause of the most Bloudy and Tragical Events which we meet with in all Relations Most of those I ever heard of that by inheritance arriv'd to great Estates have spent and consumed 'em in a short time How can it but trouble thee when thou lyest upon thy death-bed to think that what thou hast gotten by great toyl will serve only as a means to debauch thy Son The Son of Ruinus having received from his Father a rich inheritance fell into such a frenzy as cost him his Life How many ways are Laws violated How many Rebellions happen How many Treasons wherein such as are of mean fortune are almost never concern'd Besides thou wilt leave thine Estate to a Son or Brother who probably will not part with one Farthing of it to redeem thy Life from the Grave Yet such is thy madness as with loss of thine own quiet thou seekest to make them Rich. Wherefore seeing Riches procure neither Glory nor Felicity to our Selves or Posterity there can be nothing more pernicious to us than to desire 'em and anxiously pursue the search of them But here the Example of all the World will be objected against what I say for every man seeks Riches but no man wishes to be Poor I shall not here set my self to refute this Objection only say in short that the Multitude are ill Judges of things that they are the great Masters of Error and Enemies to all Philosophy
'T is said of that Fish that she first craftily and yet foolishly enough with her Tail beats the Bait from the Hook but if that will not do bites it Whereas we more senseless run on without either fear or wit III. Perhaps thou wilt say I would have Pleasure without Pain 'T is contrary to nature for Joy is continually attended by Sorrow Glory with Envy Wisedom is not gotten without labour Wealth is not obtain'd without care Children are kept with trouble Banquetting is attended by Sickness Ease with poverty Power with envy Quiet with weariness Every man has something to complain of Some be afflicted with Poverty others want Children this man is Sick that man wants a Wife and this man would be rid of his But that which is most strange is that to be happy and liable to no misfortune is also a calamity 'T is said of Polycrates that having never met with any calamity he greatly desired to experience some mishap and therefore threw into the Sea a Ring of great value on purpose to have cause to complain But Fortune it seems having sworn his happiness restored it again in a Fish IV. But least I be thought to argue with Fables Pray what pleasure do Princes receive at their Meals when continual eating of Delicacies has taken away their Taste 'T is Coarse and Homely Fare that makes Finer Meats Rellish Or how can he be happy that never felt Grief This is certain that without Adversity a man cannot Live comfortably nor take delight in Mirth without some Sorrow And is it not a comfort in our Calamity to have not only one Man for a Companion but all Mankind What 's more seemly than a Common-wealth well Govern'd yet what 's more hard than to Live in it The Romans by their Severity to themselves Conquer'd the whole World But what is more Slavish than living under such Laws when Men are constrained to Marry Labour with their own Hands Educate Children and follow the Wars The bringing up of Children especially many to a poor man seems to surpass all Sorrows What is more Dangerous and Laborious than War wherein Men toyl Night and Day sleeping in Winters Snow and marching in Summers Sun Watching continually climbing Mountains and sayling the Seas afflicted with hunger and thirst and reduced to those Extremities as to kill or be killed So that it is no wonder to see how willingly Soldiers behold the displayed Ensigns and receive the News of Battel seeing they shall by a happy Victory be either eased of their travail or by death terminate a painful Life The Lacedemonians lived so hardly at home that it never grieved them to serve abroad in the Wars Neither be Kings whom Men respect as Happy exempt from Common Calamities but rather more Unfortunate than other Men. T is observable that Poets have ever laid the Scenes of Tragedies in Kings Pallaces and on the contrary Comedies and pleasant Entertainments in private Houses Princes Pallaces are continually inhabited by such foul Monsters as Envy Hatred Lust and Oppression Even the Princes mind is the seat of all these whereby he is never suffered to sleep quietly by Night nor rest by day Sometimes the thoughts of his gross Enormities terrifie his mind otherwhiles his quiet is disturbed with Jealousies and Suspicions studying Day and Night to weaken the force of Neighbouring Princes and keep himself secure from his own Subjects Encroachments Supposing in short a Prince never so Just and Prudent yet is it almost impossible for him to be void of Cares and Fears Seeing then all mortal men be subject to some kind of vexation who art thou that seekest to live free from that Law to which all others are subject Why dost thou not complain that thou art not made immortal winged and King of the whole world and free from all misfortunes VI. T is storyed of the Hares that considering how they were persecuted they became desperate and resolved to drown themselves in the next River for which cause being one morning assembled on they went to effect their determination The Frogs that happened to be upon the bank hearing a noise for fear leapt into the water which when the Hares heard and finding it was for fear of them they changed their minds because the Frogs more unhappy than they yet sought to preserve their Lives Truly the Adversity of others never made my Misfortunes seem the less But the unavoidableness of Troubles to which all naturally are subject has much mitigated my private Griefs For who but a mad man will lament that which cannot be helped A wise man considering the course of sublunary things will expect any kind of mishap and be prepared against the worst CHAP. IV. Time a certain Remedy of all Troubles Death makes all equal I. 'T IS also to be remembred that Time is a medicine for all manner of Troubles Who grieves for his Grandmother that dyed fourscore years ago or Goods lost thirty years since Such is the nature of time that first it lessens our extream sorrow or joy secondly wears out our Affections and lastly works in us forgetfulness of what is past Why cannot we then have that influence â—ver our selves by which we may effect a speedy cure A great argument it is of wisdom to bear that with patience immediately which others cannot do till a great deal of time be past Set we before us the Examples of several worthy men that have patiently undergone the utmost of Fortunes Malice Be modest in prosperity as well as in Adversity And pluck up a good heart persuading our selves that our unhappy days be past and better times will succeed Make not thy Life a burden to thee whosoever thou art that has light into this Valley of Tears Consider the Life of man compared with Eternity is less than nothing That the whole World will pass away and thou with it and never after return again so that it matters not what thy present Circumstances may be II. What will it avail thee 300 years hence whether thou hast been an Emperour or a Cobler Whether thou hast been Lucullus or Iris Xenophon or Cleon a Slave or a Free-man happy or unhappy Whether thou hast dyed in thy Bed or at the Gallows How does this our time pass away how speedily how forcibly what a good fancy was that of him that cut in one Stone three Faces a Childs a young mans and an old mans admitting as it were no difference Imagine that now which will really happen the transition of time and thou shalt find all things nothing We ought to behave our selves like men in Prison that are in hopes of deliverance who altho attended with weariness at present yet especially if men of courage yield not themselves up to Grief III. Seeing then we all expect equality in death the rich may be sorrowful but not the poor Were it now proclaimed as 't was in the times of Lycurgus that all Goods should be Equally divided which would be
most troubled Forasmuch then as those that be rich must one day be poor and they that be poor one day rich be thou contented IV. Our folly hinders us from setting a due estimate on things It makes Pygmies become Gyants hides our happiness from us and makes us afraid of our own shadows If there be any thing to be fear'd or desir'd in this life 't is moral Good or evil a guilty or a quiet Conscience CARDAN OF CONSOLATION BOOK II. CHAP. I. The folly of our unwillingness to dye And vanity of such as are solicitous about their Funerals Misery of Old Age. I. HItherto we have discours'd of Human Calamities and their remedies in general Come we now to Particulars And first of the fear of death Consider what happiness thou hast found in life to make thee so much in love with it Dost thou alone possess any delight which we have not experienc'd We have seen the Stars the Heavens Mountains Seas Rivers Lakes Fields Gardens Cities and pleasant Villages had Musick Songs Banquets Love intrigues and Dalliances with all sorts of earthly delights nor have we wanted Learning to judg dispute make Verses and Orations born Offices and acquitted our selves honorably of them satisfied the necessities of our Children Friends and Kindred and lived together with them in good reputation wanting neither Food nor Rayment and abounded in all the conveniencies of this life and yet cannot but unfeignedly say with Solomon Vanity of vanity and all is vanity II. As to other mens experience let them speak for themselves as to my own part I have felt more Grief than Pleasure in this World Seeing then this love of life availeth nothing nay tho it were desirable t is better to cast off this burthen of Cares and like an honest man restore that which thou hast borrowed Whereas if thou torment thy self what dost thou get thereby but to consume in dying that small time which is remaining seeing whatsoever time is spent in thinking of death may justly be so called I am much taken with the saying of Agathius who tells us that Death does not only remove sickness and all other vexations but whereas these happen often that comes but once Neither can Death be accounted a great Evil seeing it comes upon so light occasions and is so ready at hand Such things as are hurtful to our natures are not common and soon found whereas there 's nothing more common or sooner found than death Death is to be met with every where and in all things in Fire and Water Air Wind Thunder Earth-quakes wild Beasts Fishes and Fowls in Meat and Drink Bed Trees Sleep Sorrow Joy Laughter Company Discord Concord and finally in all Circumstances Philomenes seeing his Ass eat Raisins bid his Boy give him some Wine to drink and fell into such a fit of laughter that he kill'd himself Coma being apprehended and examined for Robbery by Rutilus the Consul required time to make his defence and putting down his Head between his Knees he stopped his own breath and died so quietly that his Guard knew nothing of it till they saw him dead 3. Seeing then men die with such ease what can Death be better compared to than a Dream Socrates dyed with a Jest in his month Do we think then that he felt any great grief Certainly no for men cannot jest in extreme pain the mind being taken up with far greater matters This is also be to admir'd that men should with the greatest aversation dread Death and yet earnestly use those means that bring it The lustful person preferreth his pleasure before it the injur'd his revenge the Eater his gluttony the Ambitious his honor the Covetous his riches the Soldier his spoyl the Mother her children the Merchant his traffick and the Student his learning They are to be esteemed most valiant that scorn to dye unless a weighty cause requires it IV. Some perhaps be of Aepicarnus his mind Dye says he I would not but to be dead I care not Pray what hurt is it to want hunger thirst grief labour sadness fear and in short all those Evils in general which the Soul must of necessity want being parted from the Body and seeing it dies not but in lieu of these troubles partakes of heavenly joys why should we not willingly accept of this change It was the saying of Socrates that Death may be fitly compared to a sound sleep V. I remember my Father Faucius Cardan was wont to say he continually desired death because when he slept he tasted the pleasures of it meaning I suppose that all sensual delights contain more pain than pleasure and therefore it was better being without ' em Diogenes being sick and found by his Physician asleep was asked how he did well answered he for one Brother envyeth another Cosmas Medices a wise and vertuous man in our times being at the point of death closed his own eyes which his Wife seeing demanded the reason I do it says he because it is customary Socrates being by Crito persuaded to escape out of Prison as well for his Friends sake as his own refused to do it answering wisely I am going into those parts where I shall certainly find as good or perhaps better friends that those I leave behind And you will also bear me company in a short space In fine Death doth certainly take away more Evils than it bringeth If Death be an Evil to be dead is to escape it but if it be a Good thou hast no cause to lament That it is one of these no man doubts VI. I remember that being much afflicted with a Tertian Ague the seventh Fit of it laid me for dead In which time altho ' every Member was almost deprived of its use yet felt I nothing worse than a certain kind of tickling throughout my whole body accompanied with no small pleasure Possessed I was indeed with fear I should dye Which made me enquire of others who had been at the point of death whether they felt any great smart or not who told me that in the Head or Tooth-ach or such like distemper they endured greater pain I have observed that altho' Women and Children be most fearful to take Medicines and yield to cutting of Veins yet when at the point of death they neither complain nor lament but are rather offended if we seek to preserve their lives VII What is our life but a continual toyl perpetually attended with Labour Suspicions and Dangers What delight is there that is not followed by Repentance Thou art revenged then look to thy self Hast thou eaten thy fill then Satiety will offend thee Hast thou lightly â—ined then thy appetite is not â—atisfied Dost thou give way â—o Lust expect sadness and in â—he end sickness In short either â—hy desire is not satisfied and art â—hereby still discontented or else â—ormented with Satiety and Reâ—entance VIII Observe how bruit Beasts â—ield to death how little they â—re tormented with the thoughts â—f it